6 in 10 lorry drivers use mobile devices when driving

Published: 03 November 2016

A surprising survey reveals that 6 in 10 lorry drivers confess to using their mobile devices while on the road and 1 in 5 take selfies for apps like Facebook and Snapchat. Over one in four (27%) admitted to using messaging apps while at the wheel. These statistics were uncovered by insurance broker Staveley Head, surveying more than 3,700 drivers with 254 lorry drivers. 56% of those drivers admitted to using their phones when at the wheel.

Tomasz Kroker, aged 30 crashed into the vehicle which was transporting Tracey Houghton, 45 and her sons who were just 13 and 11 along with her stepdaughter who was also aged 11. He was travelling at 50 MPH at the time of the accident on the 10th of August.

You can watch the dashcam footage of the incident below.

Another driver was captured on a dashboard cam using his mobile phone as he caused a motorway pile-up, he was sentenced to 8 months. The driver would glance at the road every so often as the police discovered when viewing the footage, until he eventually crashed into a van close to junction 2 of the M1 in March 2015.

One of the drivers in his path managed to swerve out of the way of the accident but this lead to three other vehicles being damaged, with 2 drivers gaining minor injuries. During the rush hour this caused heavy traffic on the motorway.

Road safety charity Brake has detailed enforcing driving laws as “woefully inadequate” calling for police forces to be given further resources to help identify motorists who break the laws of the roads.

Figures from officials demonstrate a decline in the amount of drivers in the UK caught on their mobile devices while on the road, campaigners blame cuts the police are facing which means fewer patrols on roads.

Ministry of Justice data also reveals that the amount of convictions for those who used a mobile phone while driving has halved compared to 32,547 in 2010, while last year only 16,093 faced convictions. The amount of penalty notices issued has decreased by 84% since 2011.

Ministry of Justice data shows that the number of convictions for using a mobile phone while driving has halved from 32,547 in 2010 to 16,093 last year. The number of fixed penalty notices issued has plummeted by 84% since 2011.

Department for Transport statistics reveal that drivers impaired or distracted by phones was a main factor in 440 accidents in Britain in 2015. This includes 22 that were fatal and 75 referred to as serious cases.

Further analysis of driving data demonstrates drivers who speed 20% of the time increase chances of an accident by 87%.

Travelling over the speed limit 10% of the time can increase the chances of an accident occurring by over 42% according to insurance provider The Box during analysis of 3bn miles of data.

These are some important factors to bear in mind during journeys, avoid using your phone as you lose focus on the road and start to miss potentially life-saving observations.